Tottenham SACK Ange Postecoglou despite Spurs ending their 17-year trophy drought with Europa League triumph

Tottenham have sacked Ange Postecoglou despite the head coach ending the club’s 17-year trophy drought with Spurs’ Europa League win in May. 

Success in Europe was the club’s final lifeline for silverware – and a place in next season’s Champions League draw – amid a woeful season that saw them finish a dismal 17th in the league. 

But despite a scrappy showing against fellow domestic strugglers Manchester United in Bilbao, Tottenham were able to get over the line with a 1-0 win in the Basque region and silence Postecoglou’s critics. 

Postecoglou was then feted as part of the club’s raucous trophy parade, but with a view to improving the side ahead of the next campaign, chairman Daniel Levy and the Tottenham board have opted to move on the manager after just two seasons.  

The Australian, who was appointed in June 2023, has been forced to make do without many of his first team regulars this season after an unprecedented injury crisis which has particularly hit his defensive line.

This includes first choice centre backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, while stars such as Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke and James Maddison have also missed large chunks of action.

Postecoglou had also struggled to connect with the Spurs faithful before his historic trophy win, with the former manager coming in for abuse after appearing to taunt fans in the stands after Tottenham scored a goal – which was later ruled out – against Chelsea in their March Premier League meeting.  

The head coach was booed loudly by travelling supporters in Stamford Bridge, but remained adamant in the aftermath that he had only been trying to gee up the crowd as he cupped his hand to his ear.

The mood in north London had grown increasingly sour, with Postecoglou hitting out at the board in a recent press conference, implying that he was taking the lion’s share of the blame for Tottenham’s failings. 

‘The only voice you hear is me,’ Postecoglou said. ‘When we’re talking about the bigger clubs, there seem to be a lot more voices. And not always defending. You need scrutiny and constructive criticism as well. We definitely get enough of that but never get any of the other stuff.’ 

Postecoglou also raised concerns over a suspected leak within his Spurs set-up as recent injury news appeared to hit social media before his formal announcement. 

But on the heels of their triumph in Bilbao, Postecoglou had been more bullish about his suitability for the task at hand in north London. 

‘In all the best television series, season three is better than season two,’ Postecoglou told a whipped-up crowd at the conclusion of Spurs’ trophy parade. 

Postecoglou was also interviewed by an Australian outlet during his family holiday in Greece, stressing that lifting the Europa League trophy was merely the beginning of his aspirations, rather than the peak. 

‘I didn’t want us to just enjoy the moment,’ he said. ‘I also wanted us to think about what’s next, you know, don’t settle for this. 

‘We’ve got a taste of it now. My players have got a taste for it. The club’s got a taste for it. Well, let’s make sure we’re back here again.’ 

Despite this, Postecoglou had admitted before leaving for his vacation that he was unsure whether he would remain in charge for the 2025-26 campaign. 

While no manager has yet been announced as his successor, the start of June saw the club linked with a number of candidates, including Brentford head coach Thomas Frank. 

Tottenham are also in the throes of undergoing change behind the scenes as well as pitchside, with long-serving executive director Donna-Maria Cullen announcing her departure of the beginning of June. 

Seen as Levy’s ‘right-hand woman’, Cullen had served on Tottenham’s board of directors for over three decades.